Ryan, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound two-sport athlete, has been projected as a top-20 prospect in the 2018 MLB Draft. A recent Baseball America mock draft had him at No. 15 to the Texas Rangers. Another on scout.com had him at No. 13 going to the Miami Marlins.

"I definitely want to be at Vanderbilt," said Ryan, who was 9-0 with a 0.11 ERA after allowing one earned run in 63 innings. "It's been my dream school. I look forward to going there. Right now, that's where I'm going.

"If the draft happens, it happens."

Ryan cited a strong relationship with Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin and associate head coach and pitching coach Scott Brown as key reasons why he signed with Vanderbilt.

He is one of three Middle Tennessee pitchers expected to sign with Vanderbilt during the November signing period, joining Mt. Juliet's Ethan Smith and East Robertson's Luke Murphy. Neither had sent their paperwork as of Wednesday afternoon but intended to do so in the next couple of days.

Murphy, a 6-4 right-handed pitcher, struck out 111 batters in 50-⅓ innings this past season. He finished 6-2 with a 1.30 ERA.

Murphy and Weathers were roommates for Team Tennessee during the Sunbelt tournament in Oklahoma.

Murphy said he would advocate for Weathers to go to Vanderbilt with him.

"Of course I would," he said. "He's a great ball player. He's polished. He's a really good player."

Smith, a 6-3 right-handed pitcher, went 2-2 in six starts a year ago. He had a 2.20 ERA with 47 strikeouts.

Smith said picking Vanderbilt wasn't a hard decision.

"I think it's a little bit of (Corbin and facilities)," Smith said. "Coach Corbin has a long track record with baseball. He's turned it around. And the facilities they have built are some of the best in the country."

Reach Tom Kreager at tkreager@tennessean.com or 615-259-8089 and on Twitter @Kreager.